PRO FOOTBALL: GIANTS NOTEBOOK

PRO FOOTBALL: GIANTS NOTEBOOK; A Humbled Collins Is Savoring His Return to the Postseason

By BILL PENNINGTON

Published: January 5, 2001

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Jan. 4—
For Kerry Collins, Sunday's National Football Conference divisional playoff game will be his first post-season appearance since the N.F.C. championship game four years ago.

''It seems like a long time ago,'' Collins said today. ''And it is from my perspective.''

Collins played with the Carolina Panthers in 1996, just two years removed from a Rose Bowl victory and a few weeks from a Pro Bowl appearance. In that conference championship at Green Bay, the Panthers lost to the Packers, who would go on to win Super Bowl XXXI.

Collins, then 24, thought it would be the first of many visits to the playoffs.

''I learned the hard way that it's not that easy,'' Collins said. ''To understand that is a good lesson in humility and you understand that it matters to do things the right way. This has been a good lesson, to understand the value of hard work and perseverance.''

Collins completed 19 of 27 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Packers, who won 30-13. A week earlier, he threw two touchdowns with one interception in the Panthers' divisional playoff victory over Dallas.

''I'm a different person and a different quarterback now,'' Collins said. ''I don't have that sense of invincibility that I had then. But I think as you get older you play with a little more awareness of the things that can go wrong. It allows you to play smarter and I think I am playing smarter than I ever have.''

Frozen Footballs

While the Giants conducted the majority of today's practice within their indoor bubble facility, Coach Jim Fassel had the team's equipment staff leave a bag of 20 footballs outside overnight so that the players would have to practice with the chilled footballs.

''I wanted them rock hard and slick like they'll probably be for the game,'' Fassel said. ''The guys have to get used to that. And I only brought three balls in at a time for practice. I left the rest outside and rotated the frozen ones in during practice.''

As he did Wednesday, Fassel also began practice by letting the kickers and kick returners work outside on the Giants Stadium field.

Jurevicius Questionable

Wide receiver Joe Jurevicius participated in practice and was not running with a limp. He is listed, however, as questionable for Sunday and Jim Fassel did not sound optimistic about Jurevicius's chances of playing.

Cornerback Jason Sehorn said the rib he cracked in October has healed enough that it does not hinder him when he's playing, but he added: ''I haven't been the greatest tackler the last couple of weeks. It's fine -- not a bother. It's just not normal.''

Sehorn is more pleased that he finished a regular season still on the active roster. He missed the 1998 season because of knee surgery and broke his leg in 1999.

''It's been a struggle to get this far,'' Sehorn said. ''I'm happy to be out there running around.''

Fassel was asked about the Washington Redskins' hiring of Marty Schottenheimer and said: ''Good for Marty, if he's comfortable with everything there. He's got a talented football team and he'll want to win right now. I'm sure he won't be on the five- to 10-year plan.''

Giants Stadium maintenance crews have removed all the snowfall from the stadium's seats and aisles.